THE FEASTING OF GUNDOTHARAN Even after the guests were feasted after the wedding, so much of the food remained unconsumed. Not even one thousandth was consumed. As Thadathagai mentioned this to the Lord, He smiled and created a fire in the stomach of Gundothara, who consumed not only the food, but also the vessels containing the food. Yet his hunger as not relieved. He consumed uncooked vegetables, milk, etc…
Now Thadathakai expressed her worried wonder at this to the Lord. Gundotharan despaired at the fire of hunger as if the fire that destroyed ‘muppuram’ had manifested in him. He was in great misery. *Gundotharan Feels Very Hungry* In Meenakshi wedding feast, the guests from the groom’s side were less than expected. So a huge quantity of food remained untouched. Meenakshi’s mother arrogantly teases the groom about it. Devi too argues with her husband about it. Scriptures say that to teach the mother and daughter a lesson, Lord Siva created travenous hunger in one of the accompanying Bhootas called Gundotharan, who held the umbrella for the groom, and he started gobbling everything quickly, making the women realise their mistake. Let’s examine the inner meaning of this episode. It is said that Kanchi Paramacharya once fasted for many days and then consumed a feast made for several people to make people in his realise some of their mistakes. *Who is Gundotharan?* He was a dwarf Bhootam, that is, those who live in the consciousness at the physical level. It is only with the physical body can man start his spiritual quest. What was his role? To hold the umbrella over the lord’s head. Why does the lord need shade? Our body made of the five elements (bhootas), made aware of the supreme consciousness through spiritual practice, is shaded from arrogance, ignorance, and corruption by awareness. The umbrella that spreads the protective shade is knowledge. We gain that knowledge by obtaining a physical body. The body and mind mature and instead of living a wayward life, it enables us to live in total awareness with knowledge. *What is the significance of the Lord making Gundotharan hungry?* After the strenuous spiritual training, the desires rise up again. This is dangerous, and the Lord makes his Lady realise this. He also indicates to her how their spiritual practice once they start their marital life should be. If the hunger that was suppressed rises again, it is very difficult to satiate it. Those who follow the spiritual path can again become slaves to their desires easily. Their awareness will try to stop them. Sometimes, despite that, they will give in to make some people realise some truths. They will do it knowing it is divine guidance. One must think about this deeply. It is a Bhoota that holds the umbrella over the Lord’s head, and it is the same Bhoota that roams into homes in a state of severe hunger, looking for food. It is the divine within that is responsible for both actions. That is why the spiritually evolved should not become contemptuous of their non-spiritual friends. They should realise that it is the divine that guides them on the spiritual path. That is why idols show many Bhootas surrounding the Lord. There are several Bhootas performing a different function. These sculptures indicate that humans made of these Bhootas should do at least one such divine work. This is the significance of the Bhoota vehicle too. Om Namah Shivaya! <http://groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/worldmalayaliclub/> *வாழிய செந்தமிழ்! வாழ்க நற்றமிழர்!* *வாழிய பாரதமணித் திருநாடு!* *v **a n a k k a m** S u b b u* [image: h16k4xlCNmQFfVwI9uA3CZUv0sTjrXqOh2qpTve4] -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
